Elevator guide rail fastening device



June 8, 1943. s. BPS ANFORD 2,321,106

ELEVATOR GUIDE RAIL FASTENING DEVICE I Filed Jan. 14, 1942 I2 5 2r. 9 H I8 10 Eggs ii 12 ll 24 24 FIG. 3

Patented June 8, 1943 ELEVATOR GUIDE RAIL FASTENING DEVICE Selden Bradley Sanford, Yonkers, ass gnor to Otis Elevator Company, New York, N.

corporation of New .l'ersey 7 application January 14, 1942, Serial No. 426,763

1 Claim.

The invention relates to elevator guide rail installations.

Guide rails are provided in elevator installations for both the car and the counterweight. Those for the car are usually arranged oppositely, one on each side of the hatchway with those for the counterweight arranged oppositely along one of the hatchway walls. It is important that the rails be set vertical, 1. e., with all points along the face of the rail in the same-vertical plane and also all points along each side of the rail in the same vertical plane, with opposing rails uniformly spaced and with the corresponding sides of opposing rails in the same plane. The vertical setting of a rail is done by measurement inconnection with a plumb line and the rail is usually secured in place by means of clips bolted to rail brackets. Shims are utilized i positioning the faces of the rails. The vertical alignment of the sides of the rails, however, is obtained by pushing the rails sidewise into aligned position and the clips are relied on to hold the rails in place. The spacing and lining up of opposite rails is obtained by the use of gauges. While the faces of the rails may be readily positioned by means of different size brackets and shims, it is often a difficult matter to set the sides of the rails, because of variation due to the construction of the building, especially where the rail brackets can not be shifted sidewise.

The object of the invention is to provide fasteners for elevator guide rails which facilitate aligning the sides of the rails and insure the retention of the sides of the rails in alignment.

Features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and appended claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side view of several sections of an elevator car guide rail mounted in the hatchway in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the guide rail at a mounting bracket, illustrating the rail in adjusted position under one installation condition;

Figure 3 is a similar view, illustrating the rail in adjusted position under another installation condition;

Figure 4 is a section taken along the line 44 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a front view of a rail bracket.

The invention will be described by way of iilustration in connection with one of the guide rails for an elevator car. In elevator installations, the rails 7 come in sections which are secured together by means of fish plates 9, bolted to the rails as shown in Figure "1. The rails are mounted vertically on rail brackets It). The rail brackets are secured along the hatchway wall H at spaced intervals, the number of brackets and their spacing depending upon the requirements of the particular installation. Various types of brackets may be employed, depending upon the character of the building construction. A chair type bracket has been illustrated. These brackets may be fastened in various ways, depending upon the manner and type of building construction, but are illustrated as secured by bolts l2 extending into expansion shells l6 in the hatchway wall. The holes i3 for the shells ar made with star drills and these holes are roughly aligned vertically when made. The feet Id of the brackets are provided with apertures l5 through which the bolts extend.

The faces of the brackets for the rails are roughly aligned vertically when the brackets are secured to the wall. To effect this alignment, a plumb line is extended down the hatchway in a certain position with respect to the ultimate position of the rails and the brackets are vertically aligned within certain limits by measurement from this plumb line, using brackets of different height and shims IT to obtain the desired positions. A gauge is utilized in positioning the bracket faces at right angles to the intended plane of the rails and in setting the faces of opposite brackets parallel.

in accordance with the arrangement illustrated, the guide rails are secured to the brackets by clips 20 and bolts 2|. These bolts extend through holes 22 in the clips and holes 23 in the brackets. The holes in the brackets are spaced apart a distance to provide a certain amount of clearance between the bolts and the rails. Inasmuch as the holes l3 and therefore the vertical centerlines of the brackets are only roughly aligned vertically, it is preferred to provide several pairs of holes 23 in the brackets for receiving the bolts 2|. Such arrangement is illustrated in Figure 5. The holes of each pair are the same distance apart. A plumb line is also utilized for setting the guide rails. The faces of the rails are lined up by measuring in from the plumb line and adjustingtheir positions by means of shims I8 between the face of the brackets and the clips and backs of the rails.

To facilitate lining up the sides of the rails, a pair of wedges 24 is provided at each bracket, these wedges being in the spaces between bolts 2| and the edges 25 of the base of the rail. Each inserted in the pair of holes 23 of the bracket. which most nearly approximate the center as in dicated by the plumb line. With the clips lightly,

tightened, the wedges are tapped to shift the rail to one side or the other until the sides of the rail are in proper position with respect to the plumb line. The clips are then tightened down to hold the rail in adjusted position. In Figure 2 is shown an alignment obtained by forcing the rail well to the right while in Figure 3 is shown an alignment obtained by forcing the rail well to the left; In case the rail alignmentcannot be obtained by forcing the-rail to an extremeposition, the clips are secured in the next set of holes in the direction in which the rail is to be shifted. In this connection the distance between the centerlines between adjacent pairs of holes should be slightly less than the maximum shift obtainable with the wedges to insure proper adjustment. The angle of the'wedges is such as to obviate the wedges being forced upwardly by sidewise pressure.

The wedges not only provide a simple means for setting the rails but also provide a solid connection of the rails to the brackets. They also act to keep the rails in alignment should there be any tendency for them to shift. Thus, for example, should one of the bolts?! become loose, the wedge for that side of the rail automatically holds the rail in proper position. The same is true if both bolts become loosened. The wedges are effective regardless of whether the bolts l2 are horizontally aligned or not as the wedges bear against the bolts 2|. It is seen therefore that a very simple and reliable arrangement is provided for aligning the sides of the guide rails which acts automatically to retain the sides of the rails in alignment.

While the invention has been described in connection with the guide rail for an elevator car, it is also applicable to guide rails for counterweights. Also, it is to be understood that the invention may be utilized with various types of rail brackets and with various arrangements for securing the brackets. Also, the construction of the rail clips is only illustrative. As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that an matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense;

What is claimed is:

A fastening device for an elevator guide rail comprising, a bracket mounted in the hatchway, a pair of clips oppositely disposed, one on each side of the rail and positioned on a line perpendioular to the longitudinal axis of the rail, a bolt for each clip for securing the clip to the bracket, each clip being cut back to expose the bolt, and a wedge on each side of the rail underneath the clip between and engaging the edge of the base of the rail and the bolt, said wedges being oppositely movable vertically to shift the rail sidewise to align the sides of the rail and the bolts being tightened when the rail alignment has been effected to secure the rail to-the bracket.

SELDEN- BRADLEY SAN FORD. 

